8 THE HORSE BOOK. 



This was a small animal having five digits or 

 toes on each of its four limbs. Its second, third 

 and fourth toes were furnished with hoof -like 

 protection and its fossil remains are found in 

 Europe as well as in America. It lived in 

 swampy regions and the subsequent hardening 

 of the ground rendered necessary the evolution 

 of a foot of the type possessed by the horse of 

 today. 



Strangely enough, though there were no 

 horses on the American continent when it was 

 discovered by the Spaniards, the genus was 

 evolved here and is believed to have crossed into 

 Asia over ground that at some remote period 

 connected the most northwesterly portions of 

 our continent with the most easterly confines 

 of Siberia. Profs. Marsh of Yale and Osborn 

 of the American Museum of Natural History 

 have been chiefly instrumental in tracing the 

 geological history of the horse. 



Next in line of descent to Phenacodus is 

 Eohippus, which name may be translated as 

 meaning the dawn or beginning of the horse. 

 This was about the size of a fox, about 11 inches 

 high, and in it the first toe had entirely disap- 

 peared and the fifth was represented only in 

 vestigial form in the hind legs. Protorohippus 

 followed, probably about 18 inches high, much 

 like its predecessor, but lacking the fifth toe on 

 all its legs. Orohippus following presented an 

 appearance closer to that of the horse and had 



